


and we can roll around this grave

by Shadowcrawler, unwindmyself



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Anger, Everyone is Dead, Evil Grant Ward, F/F, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-21
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-04-27 08:50:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5041885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowcrawler/pseuds/Shadowcrawler, https://archiveofourown.org/users/unwindmyself/pseuds/unwindmyself
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life after murder is sort of something Kara had experience with already, so this isn't a surprise; Raina is just amused that there is, in fact, an afterlife after Afterlife.</p>
<p>(Or, Kara And Raina In Deadland.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So _Jasper in Deadland_ is a kickass off-Broadway musical by Ryan Scott Oliver and Hunter Foster, and you should check it out if you have the chance but you don't actually need to be familiar with it to follow the story. That said, the interpretation of an afterlife in this story is 100% cribbed from said musical because it's the most convenient: it's a mash-up of every interpretation of the afterlife that's been presented. This story is more self-aware and less shrouded in forgetting, and everyone who's going to pop up in Deadland is of the MCU.

“New arrival?”

Kara blinks around the room and pinpoints the voice as coming from a woman in what seems like a pair of black silk pajamas, more curiously sporting porcupine-like quills on her face. Noticing this makes Kara conscious of her own facial abnormality, and she touches her cheek self-consciously.

“I guess,” she says. “Where is here?”

The other woman shrugs. “Every mythology rolled into one, from what I can tell. They’re just processing slow tonight. There are lots of us.”

“Who’s processing? Lots of us what?”

“Aw, sweetie,” the woman says, not without some genuine sympathy. “We’re dead. You didn’t guess?”

“It all went pretty fast,” Kara sighs. “Running and gunshots and a _lot_ of blood.”

“Sounds about right.” The woman shrugs, offering a wary smile. “I’m Raina.”

“Kara. Uh, have we met? Before?” Kara asks. “I need to ask. It’s complicated.”

“We haven’t,” Raina says. “But complicated, I understand.” A buzzer sounds on the wall and she stands. “I’m up, be right back.”

Time passes and Kara isn’t sure how much before Raina re-enters. Or it’s probably Raina.

“Hi!” she chirps.

“Your face isn’t…”

Raina shrugs blithely. “Guess this is my reward for going out with honor,” she says, giving a twirl that makes her curly hair fly out and the light catch on her floral dress.

“Your…”

“Also complicated,” Raina says wryly. “This is my… it’s me from before. You could ask about yourself when you go in, I bet. You’re up next.”

Kara flinches.

“I mean, I think you’re cute anyway,” Raina continues, “but you’re clearly uncomfortable with it. You’ve been fidgeting.”

“ _Also_ complicated,” Kara says, because she’s finding there’s no point in trying to hide it if they are, in fact, dead. “It’s a whole thing.”

“Wanna trade war stories?” Raina asks. “After you get processed we could get a drink.”

“What, like _get a drink_ get a drink?”

“Not much else to do in Deadland,” Raina declares.


	2. Chapter 2

One advantage of being dead: nobody cares if you bring a dog to a bar.

“Victoria was right,” Raina says, sipping her drink. “You spoil him.”

Kara glances down at Buddy, who’s sitting curled at her feet like usual. “Yeah, I do,” she shrugs. “I’m not too worried about it.”

There’s some commotion outside, and Raina says, “New arrivals.”

Kara knows better than to question this.

First to make it inside the bar is a blond kid that Kara doesn’t really recognize but Raina seems to, nodding coolly at him. “Surprise, surprise,” she drawls.

“I did what you did,” he says. “I sacrificed myself for Daisy.”

Raina rolls her eyes. “And monologued the whole way, I suppose,” she says. To Kara she says, “This is Lincoln and he’s artless.”

“We might have crossed paths,” Kara says. “But thanks for the exposition.”

Lincoln orders a water from the bartender and sits down at their table without asking permission, folding his arms and pouting.

“That whole fuss can’t just have been about you,” Raina says, just as Buddy perks up and starts growling.

They all turn to look at the door and… there’s Grant Ward. Fucking finally. (How Raina figured it is this: his soul, or what counts for it, died months ago and they knew that, but since his body was still hijacked that disconnect meant he wouldn’t show up until the body died. Some bland astronaut who’d also been hijacked similarly confirmed this theory.)

“Well, well,” Raina says, sitting back in her chair like she knows what’s about to happen.

“You _fucking asshole_ ,” Kara shouts, standing but not getting any closer. “You completely selfish, manipulative, _murdering rapist_ of an asshole. How many more people did you take with you?”

“Me,” Lincoln says, but nobody pays attention.

“It wasn’t _me_ , Kara,” Ward shouts. “It was the monster with my face and memories.”

Kara rolls her eyes. “I don’t give a shit, and I’m not just talking about these last few months,” she says. “You know there’s enough of us here to have started a club?”

Ward frowns. “A…”

“A club,” Kara repeats. “Linked mainly by the sorry circumstance of our shitbag murderer.”

“Uh,” Ward says.

Buddy is still growling, and Kara leans down to pet him, never taking her eyes off of Ward. “It’s okay, Bud,” she says. “He can’t do anything to either of us down here.”

“Should I rally the others?” Raina asks, all too amused.

Kara nods, and as Raina stands she kisses her hand.


	3. Chapter 3

“The gang’s outside,” Raina croons, poking her head back into the bar after a few minutes. (Or a lot of minutes. It doesn’t really matter.)

“C’mon,” Kara says, taking Buddy’s leash and waving for Lincoln to follow her outside, nodding for Ward to come with as well. She’s taking advantage of her… indeterminate power right now.

Lincoln, still pouting, follows them. “I don’t really see what the point of this is,” he grumbles.

“You may have let him make of you a martyr,” Raina says, rolling her eyes to show just what she thinks of that, “but the rest of them don’t have any false zen about it.”

“Okay,” he replies, “but why do _you_ care? Jiaying killed you.”

“And I gave her a very serious talking-to, that’s not the point,” Raina shrugs. “This is hilarious. He didn’t kill me but he’s a twisted little fuck.”

“Hey!” Ward objects. “I don’t really see what the problem is here. So a guy makes a few mistakes, crashes a plane. You have no idea what I’ve been through.”

Kara rolls her eyes. “I do,” she says. “Still not a good reason to shoot your girlfriend in the stomach.”

“Or to shoot a higher-ranking SHIELD officer just because your former SO tells you to,” snaps Isabelle, who’s holding Victoria’s hand.

“Look what the demonic octopus dragged in,” Victoria mutters. She squeezes Isabelle’s hand. “You know, I’m glad you technically died twice. If anyone deserves it, it’s you.”

“I think that’s uncalled for,” says Ward.

“You think,” Rosalind repeats. “ _You_ think. Well, that’s not how it works, jackass.”

“Besides,” Trip chimes in, “you gotta answer for all the hurt you caused too, not just the death. Skye, Daisy, you messed her up pretty bad. She called you the monster in the basement. She was scared out of her mind to see you after what you did to her. Bet that makes you feel real good.”

Ward clenches his fist. “She was the only one who understood me. We came from the same place. I would never hurt her.”

“Please,” Raina groans. “You’d have done anything you could to make her your other half. You thought it was love, it wasn’t _love_. You looked at her like a predator and she looked at you like exactly the vile thing you are.”

Turning to her to argue, Ward pauses and thinks a minute. “Oh, I see. You were in love with her too, weren’t you? How tragic. She does that, you know. She pulls everyone in with that pretty face and sad eyes of hers.”

“It’s a tragedy I made my peace with,” Raina replies coolly, though she doesn’t argue Kara’s hand on her shoulder. “She’s special and kid, you fucked up with her.”

Kara hums assent. “I feel like I should be mad at her sometimes, because the only reason you fucked me up was that you couldn’t have her to play with,” she muses, “but then I realize that’s the kind of warped thinking you specialize in. Being dead? It does wonders for deprogramming your brain.”

“That’s not how it was at all, baby,” says Ward, pouting a little. “What we had, it was real.”

“I was two steps above a sentient blow-up doll for you,” Kara rolls her eyes. “And don’t call me baby. Ever.”

“Not even the Hydra guys you killed like you,” says Eric Koenig, who’s been hanging around in the back and looks a little intimidated. “They’re not allowed in our club, but they talk shit about you all the time. You’re an asshole.”

“Your family, too,” Kara says. “And, of course, this guy.” Buddy wuffs angrily.

“Well, there’s obviously nothing I can say that will change your minds,” says Ward smoothly. “I’m just sorry you refuse to listen to reason.”

“What a comedian,” Raina murmurs.


End file.
